PASSPORT

WRITING
PART 1
LESSON 8: Introductory Sentence and
Overview Statement
The general format for writing academic writing task 1

Introduction
(Paraphrase Sentence)

Overview
(Basic/General Trends/Main Features)

Details Descripions
(2 paragraphs)

Shouldn’t I write a conclusion?

No. Conclusions are really a summary of what you think or opinions. This is not an opinion essay, and
you do not need to write a conclusion. Save your conclusions for task 2.
The Introduction

The introduction should begin by talking about what the graph/bar/table talks about. Ideally, you need to
begin with one or two sentences that state what the IELTS writing task 1 shows.You can do this by
paraphrasing the title of the graph and by making sure you put in a time frame if there is one.

The question says:

The line graph below shows changes in the amount and type of fast food consumed by Australian
teenagers from 1975 to 2000.

And you can paraphrase the question by saying:

The line graph given here compares the fast food consumption for a period of 25 years between
1975 and 2000, of teenagers in Australia.

In this way, you have managed to say the same thing as the title, but in a different way.
The Introduction

An introduction should answer the questions:

What?/Where?/When? (Sometimes: Who?)

The charts show the number of people who owned more than one mobile phone in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2015.

What? The number of people who owned more than one mobile phone
Where? In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
When? In 2015
The Introduction

Vocabulary

Starting Presentation Type Verb Description

the comparison of…

shows / represents /
the differences…
depicts / enumerates /
the changes...
illustrates / presents/
the number of…
gives / provides /
information on…
diagram / table / figure / illustration delineates/ outlines/
data on…
/ graph / chart / flow chart / picture/ describes / delineates/
the proportion of…
The/ the given / the presentation/ pie chart / bar graph/ expresses/ denotes/
the amount of…
supplied / the presented column graph / line graph / table compares/ shows
information on...
/ the shown / the data/ data / information / pictorial/ contrast / indicates /
data about...
provided process diagram/ map/ pie chart figures / gives data on /
comparative data...
and table/ bar graph and pie chart gives information on/
the trend of...
... presents information
the percentages of...
about/ shows data
the ratio of...
about/ demonstrates/
how the...
sketch out/
summarises...
The Introduction

Paraphrasing:

1. Verbs - Nouns: Changing verbs to nouns and nouns to verbs

Example:

The UK invested more money than other countries in the EU.

The investment by the UK was more than other countries in the EU.

India consumes more energy for renewable solar than other countries.
The consumption of renewable solar energy is highest in India than in other countries

The tables show the total investment into to renewable energies of five countries between 2010 and 2020.
The information shows how much 5 countries invested in green energy production over one decade.
The Introduction

Paraphrasing:

2. Turn Active sentences into Passive sentences

Example:

Teenagers used phone apps more than adults did.

Phone apps were used more by teenagers than by adults.

3. Use Synonnyms and Antonyms

Example:

The chart shows data on the number of smart phones bought in Vietnam.
The charts shows data on the number of smart phones purchased in Vietnam.
The data illustrates the number of smart phones sold in Vietnam.
The Introduction

Practice 1: Analyse the Introduction

Read the four introduction sentences below (A-D). Now underline and label the parts of the
introduction that answer the questions: What? Where? When?

A. This graph shows the percentage of people of a certain age group visiting the cinema at
least once a year in Australia between 1990 and now with future predictions until 2018.

B. The graph provides information about the number of men and women in further education
in Britain in three consecutive periods and compares this in relation to full-time and part-time
enrolment.

C. The three visuals present detailed data about 6 different ways that Sweden, Korea and the
UK deal with hazardous waste.

D. From the table we can gain an insight into money spent in the UK on online shopping
over a period of one year categorized by gender. The visuals also show how much of the total
expenditure for men and women is related to online shopping.
The Introduction

Tips:

1. For a single graph use 's' after the verb, like - gives data on, shows/ presents etc. However, if
there are multiple graphs, DO NOT use 's' after the verb.

2. If there are multiple graphs and each one presents a different type of data, you can write
which graph presents what type of data and use 'while' to show a connection. For example -
'The given bar graph shows the amount spent on fast food items in 2009 in the UK while the
pie chart presents a comparison of people's ages who spent more on fast food.

4. For multiple graphs and/ or table(s), you can write what they present in combination instead
of saying which each graph depicts. For example, "The two pie charts and the column graph in
combination depicts a picture of the crime in Australia from 2005 to 2015 and the percentages
of young offenders during this period."
The Overview

After you have written the introduction sentence, you should write an overview. An overview is 1 to 2
sentences that describe themost important trend(s) or feature(s) in the graph. It is very important to include
an overview in your Academic Task 1 Writing. You will lose marks if you do not.

Task Achievement

Band 5 Band 6 Band 7

Present a clear
Recount details Present an overview
overvew of main
mechanically with no with information
trends, differences or
clear overview. appropriately selected.
stages.

This means that to get at least a 5 for task achievement we must give some kind of overview. If we do not
give any overview, we will always get below a 5. If we select the appropriate data to include in our overview,
we get a score of 6, and if it is ‘clear’ we get a 7 for this part of the exam.
The Overview

How to identify key features?

To understand this, we have to think about the different types of graphs and charts we might see. There are
generally two different kinds of charts and graphs: dynamic and static.
DO NOT give numbers, percentages or quantity in your general trend. Rather give the most striking feature
of the graph that could be easily understood at a glance.
Dynamic charts show data over time, and static charts show data at just one point in time. This will affect the
type of data we select.

Dynamic graphs Static graphs

What does the data do from the

start to the finish?
What are the highest/lowest
Do they generally go up or
values?
down, or do they fluctuate?
What are the most noticeable
Any significant difference from
differences?
the general trend?
Any similarities?
Overall increase/decrease?
Any significant exceptions?
Peaks/lows?
Is there a predicted change that
will happen in the future?
The Overview

Vocabulary:

1. In general... 9. As an overall trend/ As overall trend...

2. In summary... 10. As it is presented...
3. To summarise... 11. It can be clearly seen that...
4. Overall... 12. At the first glance...
5. It is obvious... 13. It is clear,
6. As it is observed... 14. At the onset...
7. As a general trend... 15. It is clear that...
8. As can be seen... 16. A glance at the graph(s) reveals that..

.
The Overview
Examples:
1. In general, the employment opportunities increased till
1970 and then declined throughout the next decade.
2. As it is observed, the figures for imprisonment in the
five mentioned countries show no overall pattern, rather
shows the considerable fluctuations from country to
country.
3. Generally speaking, citizens in the USA had a far better
life standard than that of the remaining countries.
4. As can be seen, the highest number of passengers used
the London Underground station at 8:00 in the morning
and at 6:00 in the evening.
4. Generally speaking, more men were engaged in
managerial positions in 1987 than that of women in New
York this year.
5. As an overall trend, the number of crimes reported
increased fairly rapidly until the mid-seventies,
remained constant for five years and finally, dropped to
20 cases a week after 1982.
6. At a first glance, it is clear that more percentages of
native university pupils violated regulations and rules
than the foreign students did during this period.
7. At the onset, it is clear that drinking in public and
drink-driving were the most common reasons for US
citizens to be arrested in 2014.
8. Overall, the leisure hours enjoyed by males,
regardless of their employment status, was much
higher than that of women.
The Overview

Practices 2: Write an introduction and an overview statements for the following charts
The Overview

Practices 2: Write an introduction and an overview statements for the following charts
The Overview

Practices 2: Write an introduction and an overview statements for the following charts
The Overview

Practices 2: Write an introduction and an overview statements for the following charts
The Overview

Practices 2: Write an introduction and an overview statements for the following charts